Utility Benefits

Federal and State Permit Compliance

Just as we as residents have laws we must abide by in order to have a safe and cohesive country, local governments have laws, or mandates, they must abide by as well. One of those is the Clean Water Act.

The Clean Water Act

On October 18, 1972, the Federal Water Pollution Act of 1972 was enacted. Better known as the Clean Water Act, it was established "... to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation's waters." This act ensures that residents can be confident that their local communities are working diligently to protect the waters in their area.

Point Source Pollution

The Clean Water Act first established the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit system to control pollutants in the form of direct or point source discharges, which enter our Nation's waters directly from industrial sites and wastewater treatment facilities. By 1985, there was a marked improvement in the quality of America's rivers and streams as a result of this landmark legislation, but there were still problems that needed to be addressed.

Nonpoint Source Pollution

Creek OutletThe Water Quality Act of 1987 amended the NPDES permit system to address nonpoint source pollution. Nonpoint source pollution is created when pollutants from across the watershed are carried by stormwater into area waters. For example, the oil and gas that drip from our cars - not to mention the trash thrown out of the window - collect on roadways and parking lots and eventually rushes unobstructed into local waterways. This is one example of nonpoint source pollution.

Municipal Separate Sewer System (MS4)

Nonpoint source pollution is one of the biggest threats facing the health of our Nation's waters. For this reason, the federal government has required that Athens-Clarke County, and hundreds of other towns of similar size all across the country, meet certain guidelines in how to properly manage stormwater. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the Municipal Separate Sewer System (MS4) NPDES Permit System to address nonpoint source pollution. The MS4 stormwater discharge permit establishes guidelines for local governments to minimize pollutants in stormwater runoff to the "maximum extent practicable."

Phase II Permit

Because the Athens-Clarke County population was more than 100,000 in the 2000 Census, it was designated a NPDES Phase II municipality by the EPA. This designation required Athens-Clarke County to develop a stormwater management program addressing six key areas:

  1. Public education
  2. Public involvement the program
  3. Elimination of unlawful discharges
  4. Controls on new construction
  5. Post-construction management of wet weather runoff
  6. Implementation of good housekeeping activities for municipal operations

In accordance with the Phase II permit, Athens-Clarke County was required to develop, implement, and enforce Best Management Practices (BMP's) for stormwater management. Though ACC provided stormwater services for the county before these regulations took affect, the mandated program represented a significant increase from existing services. The Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County chose to fund the implementation of these measures through the establishment of a stormwater utility.

For Our Future

By working proactively, the Athens-Clarke County Government is taking the extra steps needed to ensure that the stormwater problems of Athens-Clarke County are not left for our children to fix.